On 9 February 2026 Oaklands Farm Solar Limited — a wholly owned subsidiary of BayWa r.e. — submitted a formal Skylark Mitigation Strategy to the South Derbyshire planning register. The document sets out how the developer will protect ground‑nesting skylarks while solar panels are built and operated across about 191 hectares (roughly 470 acres) of land between Walton‑on‑Trent and Rosliston, near Swadlincote, Derbyshire.
The submission is a discharge of a requirement in the Development Consent Order (DCO) granted on 19 June 2025 and is now open for public comment on the South Derbyshire District Council planning register. The filing includes proposals for 38 dedicated skylark breeding plots in adjacent fields.
To protect nesting birds, the strategy proposes seasonal no‑work zones and timing controls that avoid disturbance during the skylark breeding season. The plan also commits to delivering a 125% biodiversity net gain by creating and restoring habitats across the site to support skylarks and other species.
Under the DCO and the Planning Inspectorate’s project pages, the Skylark Mitigation Strategy (the discharge of Requirement 10) must be approved before the relevant construction works can start. Residents can view the strategy and related documents online via the South Derbyshire planning register and the Planning Inspectorate’s Oaklands Farm project page.
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